Indian Film-Makers Condemn Denial Of Indian Visa To No Fire Zone Director
November 7, 2013
A group of film-makers and film collectives have strongly condemned the Indian Government for refusing British Filmmaker Callum Macrae, director of the No Fire Zone a visa into that country.
Callum Macrae
Indian film-makers K.P.Sasi and Satya Sivaraman and Pedestrian Pictures and the VIBGYOR Film Collective said the refusal of an Indian visa to Macrae had prevented the director from attending the premiereof his own documentary No Fire Zone in New Delhi and Mumbai.
“The denial of visa is clearly part of the Indian government’s appeasement of the Sri Lankan regime of Mahinda Rajapaksa, which has been accused of war crimes during the last phases of the civil war in 2009, which resulted in the deaths of over 70,000 civilian,” a statement from the film makers said.
The statement said Macrae’s globally acclaimed documentary presents hard evidence of these crimes that include rape of Tamil women, torture and murder of journalists and human rights activists. Mr Macrae’s team was nominated for the Noble Prize in recognition of its contribution to human rights.
“In the last few years the Indian External Affairs Ministry has similarly prevented several other filmakers, artists, intellectuals and activists from traveling to India for seminars, exhibitions or public events. By blocking the free flow of ideas, information and artistic works across national borders the government is impinging upon the democratic rights of Indian citizens also,” the statement said.
“We appeal to all freedom loving citizens, groups and organisations to challenge this violation of freedom of expression, a right which is enshrined in the Constitution of India for the protection of Indian democracy,” the statement said.
Scribes To Be Far From The Action At CHOGM 2013
November 7, 2013
Some 800 Journalists and Photojournalists accredited to cover the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Colombo will mostly be relegated to watching events and proceedings from the Media Centre at the summit venue, Sri Lankan authorities said.
Callum Macrae
The Media Centre at BMICH, where the CHOGM meetings will be held between 15-17 November was estimated to cost a whopping Rs. 800 million and features a small television screen on which sessions and main events will be telecast live off the feed of the official CHOGM broadcaster.
The Media Ministry of Sri Lanka has decided that no journalists or photographers will be permitted to be at the Bandaranaike International Airport for the arrivals of Prince of Wales and Heads of Government, except the summit’s official photographer and television broadcaster. The CHOGM opening ceremony on 15 November at the Nelum Pokuna Mahinda Rajapaksa Theatre in Colombo 07 will also be closed to media personnel who will have the honour of watching the proceedings from the Media Centre at BMICH.
Photographs and recordings of the proceedings will be made available to private and foreign media personnel at the official media centre, the Government has said.
Presidential Photographer Sudath Silva has been appointed official photographer to the CHOGM 2013.
Meanwhile Channel 4 crew and No Fire Zone Director Callum Macrae have been assured visas by the Government of Sri Lanka but Journalist and Author of Still counting the Dead, Frances Harrison is yet to get her accreditation for CHOGM, Colombo Telegraph learns.
